Mark Tighe covered the Dermot Ahern speech in yesterday’s Sunday Times and followed up with queries to people involved in lesbian and gay activism and media and something from the Ministers Office.

I’m sure the phrase ‘prominent campaigner for Civil Partnerships’ had a few people choking over their bacon croissants 😉

However the Ministers Spokesman said

….The Minister supported legislation for Civil Partnerships. “That speech was 15 years ago and the minister’s view was commonly held at the time. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and anyone is entitled to change their mind. The minister’s view is that the family is fundamental to Irish life. He is fully behind the commitment made in the programme for government.

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Well it won’t be long till the publication of the Heads of Bill then will it? Grand.

(I could highlight the lack of commonality of view in the speech, from the other ‘commonalities’ at the time – the Catholic Hierarchy’s silence during the campaign, expressions of concern from several bishops that there not be discrimination, the support from all the political parties, the Trade Union movement, most of the NGO movement including other social partners, the students movement the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe, etc. etc. Linking decriminalistion to the death of Jamie Bulger? But as I have said on more that a few occasions in the last week – this is about making sure the commitments made in the Programme for Government are delivered and I suppose you could say I’m campaigning for that!)